Luna's Secret Agony

Chapter 5: Cold-Hearted Alpha

The first light of dawn filtered through my grimy window, rousing me from a fitful sleep. My dreams had been a chaotic mess of golden eyes, hidden photographs, and the echo of a woman's scream. As I sat up, rubbing the exhaustion from my face, a steely determination settled in my chest. Today, I would confront Alexander about our mate bond. No more hiding, no more uncertainty.

I dressed quickly in the most presentable clothes I'd brought – a soft green sweater that brought out the flecks of emerald in my eyes, and dark jeans that hugged my curves. For a moment, I considered trying to cover my scar with makeup, but decided against it. If Alexander was truly my mate, he would have to accept all of me, scars and all.

The pack grounds were alive with activity as I stepped outside. Wolves in both human and wolf form darted about, carrying out their morning duties. In the distance, I could hear the sounds of training – growls, the clash of bodies, and barked orders.

Drawn by curiosity and the pull of the mate bond, I made my way towards the noise. As I crested a small hill, my breath caught in my throat.

There, in the center of a large training field, stood Alexander. He was shirtless, his bronzed skin gleaming with sweat in the morning sun. Every ripple of muscle spoke of raw power as he demonstrated a complex series of combat moves to a group of young wolves.

"Again!" he barked, his voice carrying across the field. "You think our enemies will give you a second chance if you mess up? Again!"

The young wolves scrambled to obey, their faces a mix of determination and fear. I watched, mesmerized, as Alexander moved among them, correcting stances and offering rare words of praise. This was a side of him I hadn't seen before – the strong, capable Alpha, molding his pack into a formidable force.

For a moment, I allowed myself to imagine standing beside him, his Luna, his partner in leading this pack. The vision was so vivid, so right, that it made my heart ache.

As if sensing my gaze, Alexander's head snapped up. Our eyes locked across the field, and the world seemed to fall away. The mate bond hummed between us, a siren song of belonging and desire. Without conscious thought, I found myself walking towards him, drawn like a moth to flame.

"Alpha," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "May I speak with you? About... about our bond?"

A hush fell over the training grounds. Every eye turned to us, the air thick with tension and anticipation. Alexander's face hardened, his eyes flashing with something that looked almost like pain before turning cold.

"There is nothing to discuss," he said, his voice carrying for all to hear. "Whatever you think you felt was a mistake. A glitch in the Moon Goddess's plan. Nothing more."

Each word was a dagger to my heart, but I pressed on. "Please, Alexander. You can't deny what's between us. If we could just talk—"

"Enough!" he roared, causing several nearby wolves to cower. "You are not my mate. You are nothing to me or this pack. Do you understand?"

Tears stung my eyes as I stared at him in disbelief. How could he be so cruel? How could our destined bond mean nothing to him?

Before I could respond, a familiar, sultry voice cut through the silence. "Oh darling, is this little omega bothering you?"

Olivia sauntered up, wrapping herself around Alexander like a python constricting its prey. She smirked at me over his shoulder, her eyes glittering with malicious triumph.

"Run along now, little scar face," she cooed. "Alexander has more important things to do than entertain your pathetic fantasies."

Laughter rippled through the crowd. My cheeks burned with humiliation as I backed away, unable to bear the weight of their mocking stares. With a choked sob, I turned and ran, not caring where my feet took me as long as it was away from here.

I plunged into the forest, branches whipping at my face as I ran blindly through the underbrush. The laughter still echoed in my ears, mixing with the pounding of my heart and the roaring of blood in my veins.

Suddenly, a strange warmth blossomed in my chest. It spread through my body like wildfire, tingling in my fingertips and burning behind my eyes. The forest around me began to blur and twist, the very air seeming to ripple with energy.

"No," I gasped, recognizing the onset of my mysterious power. "Not now. Please, not now!"

But it was too late. The energy burst from me in a shockwave, and I watched in horror as the plants around me withered and died. A nearby sapling crumbled to ash, carried away on the wind.

Panic clawed at my throat. What was happening to me? Why couldn't I control this... this curse?

A distant sound caught my attention – the rhythmic thud of something heavy striking wood. Desperate for any distraction from my spiraling thoughts, I moved cautiously towards the noise.

As I pushed through a dense thicket, I found myself on the edge of a small clearing. My eyes widened at the sight before me.

Alexander stood in the center, his back to me, surrounded by training dummies. But these were no ordinary practice targets. Each one bore a crude, painted face – and with a jolt, I realized they were meant to resemble me.

With a feral growl, Alexander launched himself at the nearest dummy. His fists and feet were a blur as he tore into it, ripping the stuffed figure to shreds. He moved to the next with fluid grace, his attacks growing more vicious with each dummy he destroyed.

I should have been terrified. I should have run far and fast from this display of barely contained violence. But as I watched Alexander tear through dummy after dummy, I felt a perverse thrill run through me. This was the raw power of an Alpha, of my mate, and some primal part of me reveled in it.

"Why?" Alexander snarled as he ripped the head off another dummy. "Why did it have to be her?"

His anguished cry startled me, and I took an involuntary step back. A twig snapped beneath my foot, the sound deafening in the sudden silence.

Alexander froze, his head c*****g to the side like a predator sensing prey. Slowly, he turned towards my hiding spot, his eyes glowing with feral intensity.

"Who's there?" he growled, stalking towards me with lethal grace. "Show yourself!"

Heart pounding, I pressed myself against a tree, praying to the Moon Goddess that he wouldn't find me. I held my breath as Alexander prowled closer, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air.

For a long, terrifying moment, he stood mere inches from my hiding spot. I could see the beads of sweat on his skin, smell the intoxicating mix of pine and musk that was uniquely him. The mate bond thrummed between us, urging me to reach out and touch him.

Just when I thought my racing heart would give me away, a howl echoed in the distance. Alexander's head snapped towards the sound, his brow furrowing.

"Dammit," he muttered. With one last suspicious glance around the clearing, he took off towards the pack grounds.

I waited until I could no longer hear his footsteps before sagging against the tree, my legs weak with relief. That had been too close. Far too close.

As the adrenaline faded, confusion and hurt took its place. Why was Alexander so angry? Why did he seem to hate the very idea of me as his mate? And most importantly, what dark secrets lay in both our pasts, driving us apart even as the mate bond pulled us together?

One thing was clear – I was in far deeper, and far more dangerous waters than I had ever imagined. As I made my way back to my lonely cabin, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was running out of time to uncover the truth before it destroyed us both.